The Defeated Dragon Chapter 48

48 – Coconut Stealing Monkeys

Ties, s.h.i.+rts, vests, sleeveless s.h.i.+rts, boxer shorts, suits, trousers, hats, leather shoes, there was a range of clothing that Liszt wanted to produce.

However, he could not be that unconventional. After all, he was just a baron in the countryside. If there was a day when he became the head of a state, then he could freely perform reforms and lead trends.

Now he could only endure the c.u.mbersome clothing to preserve the so-called aristocratic dignity.

“Master, I have given the servants half a day off. Starting tomorrow, they will work for the castle.”

“Oh, do as you see feet.”

“Yes.”

Sweating all over from the heat, Liszt was not too interested in chatting: “Mr. Carter, please instruct someone to prepare bath water. This weather is not too agreeable with people.”

“As you wish.” Carter hurriedly left to instruct a maid to prepare bath water.

Nowadays, the small castle always had bath water ready. The servants knew that their lord was an aristocrat extremely fond of cleanliness. Taking bath once a day was normal, taking bath twice a day was common, taking bath thrice a day was also not unprecedented. What was not normal was going a day without taking a bath.

After taking a bath, he changed into his home clothing, a loose robe.

This robe was a type of night gown. Aristocrats were also aware that always wearing tight fitting formal clothing was quite c.u.mbersome. Therefore, the nightgown was changed into home clothing.

Liszt still felt it to be c.u.mbersome and uncomfortable.

In the summer, he liked wearing half-sleeve s.h.i.+rts and T-s.h.i.+rts. Therefore, he rolled up his robe's sleeves, exposing half of his arms. Although this did not conform with the aristocratic etiquette, but in the small castle, who would dare to pursue this minor indiscretion of his. The countryside also had its benefits.

“Master, unfortunately, we do not have ice. Otherwise, I could brew you a cup of cold sugar water to dispel the heat.”

“Even the Tulip Castle does not have much ice to squander in the summer. I can bear this much. The unfortunate thing is that I am no longer able to drink cold bear.” He did not like to drink alcoholic beverages. He drank wine in feasts because his predecessor loved to drink and it was a requirement in social gatherings.

However, he liked to drink cold beer in the summer, refres.h.i.+ng his body and soul.

Seeing that the height of summer was imminent, that the days were getting hotter and hotter, he recalled the period when the Coral Island was at its hottest, when eggs could be cooked on the ground. He estimated that it had reached 40ºC.

Quite a few serfs died each year due to the heat.

“I heard that ice could be produced with saltpeter. However, saltpeter is difficult to make and there seem to be no source on the Coral island. I also don't know… I remember reading in a book that in the countryside, places where buildings were in contact with earth, they would be rich in saltpeter. However, the Flower Town's buildings are made of wood…”

Liszt had no means of reproducing the saltpeter production method.

He could only do alike the other aristocrats and store ice in an ice house in winter, then take it out in summer: “Mr. Carter, don't forget to remind me to build an ice house this winter.”

“Very well, Master!”

……

At dinner.

Gort, Marcus, Isaiah, and Blair were invited as usual. In the Flower Town, only the four of them were qualified to eat at a table with Liszt.

“Liszt, the plan for the oyster settlement has already been completed. Tomorrow, the first batch of oyster settlement's fishermen will go to the East Coast to fish while wearing the new equipment prepared by you. There are old people, women, children, imbeciles, and impetuous people, they have been collecting sh.e.l.ls on the coast the last couple of days.”

The lord had used seafood to make a feast. As soon as the news spread, the commoners followed suit and got ready to go catch seafood.

They always followed the lord's example.

Liszt said seriously: “Teacher Gort, the introduction of how to safely handle seafood is a priority. I do not want the commoners put in danger because of improper handling of seafood. As the administrative official of the town, you have to attach great importance to the notion that population is the Flower Town's most important productive force.”

Although deep down they might disagree.

But Gort and the others were already clear regarding Liszt's bearing, nodding unhesitatingly and expressing their understanding.

“Then tomorrow, if you have time, come with me to the oyster settlement to see how the fishermen will do in their first attempt at beachcombing. At the same time, the kinds of seafood that can and cannot be caught as well as the instructions on how to preserve them must be proactively spread.”

“Sir Baron, when we organized the clerks, we have repeatedly emphasized this point. Besides, the clerks have also tried seafood in the castle. They are very conscientious regarding this.”

“Very good.”

The next day, at low tide, Liszt took his retainer knights to the oyster settlement. Houses had yet to be built in the oyster settlement. However, a leveled, uncultivated tract of land not far from the beach was already selected as the location where the wooden houses would be constructed.

At the moment, there were about two hundred old, weak, women, and children incessantly rummaging trough rock and sediment on the East Coast's flat beach while carrying baskets or wooden vats.

The production of the town's tailor and blacksmith shops was not able to keep up. Therefore, many of the fishermen still lacked gloves, shovels, hammers, or other tools, and had to entirely rely on their hands.

“Sir Lord!”

The fishermen saluted after seeing Liszt.

Liszt nodded slightly in response. Riding Firedragon, he strolled around. The beachcombing was quite troublesome because of the whether conditions, yet the workload was not too big. Therefore, whether they had experience or not, the fishermen, who had previously felt like a ‘burden', had their enthusiasm surge as they busied themselves.

After just taking a look for a moment, Liszt felt too hot and hurriedly hid under a coconut tree.

Feeling that something was wrong, he raised his head and looked at the tall coconut tree, before realizing quite a while later: “There are no coconuts!”

Thereupon, he turned to a clerk standing beside him and asked: “Does this tree bear no fruits?”

“It bears fruits, Sir Lord. This is a fragrant coconut tree and its fruit is called fragrant coconut. However, when the fruit is still very small, it is taken away by the Thorns Ridge's monkeys.”

“Monkeys?”

“They are yellowish-gray colored monkeys which we call fruit stealing monkeys. They are quite fierce. At times, they form groups and come to our farmlands to wreck the crops.”

“Fruit stealing monkey…” Liszt nodded, saying no more.

He suddenly remembered seeing in the news that some countries of Southeast Asia had the tradition of training monkeys to pick coconuts. The coconut trees were very high. Humans found it quite difficult to climb them, yet monkeys could easily pick the fruits from them. If the town were to also train a group of fruit stealing monkeys, then perhaps a coconut undertaking could be developed.

Of course, he was still not sure whether this fragrant coconut tree was actually a coconut tree. In the winter, the Flower Town was covered in snow for more than two months. If it was truly a coconut tree, then it should have already frozen to death.

“How do the fragrant coconuts taste?”

“I had once picked up a fragrant coconut dropped by a fruit stealing monkey. Inside, there was quite a lot of a milk-like juice. It tasted sweet and sour, quite delicious.”

Liszt felt a craving.

There were many such fragrant coconut tress on the East Coast. If they could be protect, then quite a large numbers of fragrant coconuts could be harvested. It could be regarded as a kind of beverage and could even be developed into a specialty product.

He turned his gaze to the distant Thorns Ridge: “Sooner or later, I will put Thorns Ridge under my control and eliminate anything threatening the Flower Town!”

The fruit stealing monkeys could be trained to pick fruit.